


Second chances

by Ilyasviel



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Breaking Up & Making Up, F/M, Feelings, Fluff and Smut, Porn with Feelings, Post-Break Up, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-12-20 02:28:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11911305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ilyasviel/pseuds/Ilyasviel
Summary: It's been a month since Sloane's death. A month since Alana Ryder's world has been destroyed. She broke up with Reyes that day, leaving her heart in a dark corner of the cave where everything happened. But now she has received a message from Keema saying that Reyes has gone, that he can be in danger.Her heart remains on Kadara, maybe is time to pick it up again?





	Second chances

**Author's Note:**

  * For [flight_feather](https://archiveofourown.org/users/flight_feather/gifts), [joz_rose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/joz_rose/gifts), [Machatnoir](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Machatnoir/gifts), [Vorcha_Girl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vorcha_Girl/gifts).



> That one has born thanks to the inspiration of my favourite girls on the 'Reyes' universe :P you put some steamy ideas inside my brain!!
> 
> I started it with the smut on mind, as always, but my brain tends to walk a long path to reach the hot destination, soooo sorry, but not sorry xDDDDDD I love how it growed and turned in something so fluffy than even Agnes from Gruu will love it hahaha

Mother liked to say that time can cure everything, that the pain fades, but… It wasn’t true for Alana. A month has passed since the worst day of her life. The day she discovered that Reyes Vidal has been playing with her. The day her heart broken into thousands of tiny pieces inside her chest. She still feels the pain she sensed when she spoke aloud the words, first at the cave _‘You are not the man I thought you were’_ and later on the Tartarus when she even avoided shaking his hand, leaving in a hurry. The sight of him felt like adding salt to her wounds at the moment.

She tried, gods, how hard she tried, to forget him, to walk away from the shady bastard and let her heart heal. But is not working. More than a month has passed, and the wound still bleeds. Every night the image of him shows in her mind, the sound of his voice, the taste of his lips. She didn't eat well, didn’t sleep, didn’t rest. Her bad mood is beginning to taint the rest of the crew, and Alana knows that someday it will explode in her hands.

She was resting on the couches area of her quarters, a bottle of whisky on her hands and feet resting on the table. SAM is trying to coax some words from her to no avail, but the AI didn’t get tired and kept trying to maintain a conversation with her even when it is obvious she didn’t want to. They have spent the last hour doing just that until a knock on the door startles her. Without asking who can be, she talks with SAM for the first time in hours besides some monosyllabic words. “SAM, open the door, please.”

Suvi appears in her range of vision, wearing a long face and fidgeting with a datapad on her hands. “Hello, Ryder. Do you have a moment?”

Taking off the feet from the table, Alana signals the other couch with the bottle in her hands. “Sure. I can’t offer anything without alcohol besides water. Suit yourself. The drinks are near the window.”

The young scientist seems troubled by something, and even behind the fog of the alcohol running on her mind, Alana takes account of it. Standing up, she moves closer to the bright blue orb that is SAM, putting down the bottle beside it. “SAM, can you do something with all the venom running through my veins?”

The synthetic voice sounded directly inside her brain. He is using the private channel. “Yes. Give me a second to bomb some adrenaline on your system and make your body accelerate the synthesize of the alcohol.” Alana moves to the couch and sits beside Suvi while she keeps toying with the datapad on her hands. SAM interrupts her before she can begin to talk. “I made what I can, now is your body who needs to cooperate with me. But I can see that your senses had improved, as your response time and senses.”

With a nod to anyone, Alana lays back on the couch. “Thanks, SAM. Move to private mode, please. I’ll call you if I need you.”

SAM’s synthetic voice resounded in the room’s walls. “Understood, Pathfinder. Private mode ON.”

The light from the orb vanished. The only light in the room the ones from the exterior, and the tiny lamp near the bed. “Ok, Suvi. What’s the matter? I never saw you this nervous before.”

Suvi shifts a bit on the couch, moving away from her enough to turn a bit to look at her directly. “I just-- I just got this comm from Kadara, and I believe you want to see it. Cora and Liam wanted to keep it away from you, but Vetra, Gil and I decided to ignore them.” Putting the pad on the couch between them, she stands and leaves the room almost running, muttering an _‘I’ll be at the bridge if you need me.’_ before closing the door behind her.

Alana stares at the closed door for a minute, still trying to understand what has just happened. At last, her brain reacts, and she shakes her head in an attempt to clean her ideas for a moment. Picking up the datapad, she turns it on and finds an email from Keema.

“Pathfinder,

Reyes is gone. I got a message from him this morning telling me that he needs a break and that he will contact me when he comes back. My men have tracked it to a remote house in the middle of the badlands.

I know that you didn’t end your relationship as friends, but I tried to convince him to come back, that staying there alone is too dangerous for him, but he didn’t listen to me.

If someone can make him listen to reason is you, Pathfinder.

I’ll send you the coordinates to the house. Please, come as soon as possible. He hasn’t been himself since you left, but I still need him to maintain the peace on Kadara Port and Ditaeon.

Let’s hope you make it in time, Pathfinder.  
Keema.”

The hand grasping the pad is shaking, the news sending her mind into a spiral of bad possibilities. What the hell is he thinking? Why is he doing this? Why if the Outlast try to kill him? Or the smugglers' band? Shit, he can be dead right now, and no one will be the wiser. Feeling grateful for being seated, she let her head fall back, hugging the pad against her chest and taking deep breaths. After less than a minute, she knows for sure that she will go, that she needs to go and see for herself that he is alive, but before… She stands and walks to the desk, activating SAM’s node.

“Hello again, Pathfinder.”

She begins to move around the room, changing her clothes on the way and leaving them to fall to the ground. “Did you know about this, SAM?”

If the synthetic voice can sound apologetic, Alana is sure that she will be hearing it right now. “Yes, Alana. All the incoming messages pass through my firewalls and protection systems. I was aware of it, but Lieutenant Harper ordered me to keep it in the dark.” A long silence that makes Alana turn to watch at the orb of light. “But she didn’t say a word about keeping it away from Vetra.”

In moments like this, Alana can see how hard his father has worked to teach him some human traits. “Thanks, SAM. Call an emergency meeting and tell Kallo to set course to Kadara, immediately.”

A second later, the answer reaches her while she fights with her uniform. “Done, Pathfinder. The team is already moving to the meeting room.” She just hums his agreement with him before rolling up the sleeves of her uniform. Moving again to the desk, she picks up the pad and the helmet from her father, strolling to the upper floor of the ship with determined steps.

Everyone is there when she arrives, and Gil is beside Vetra, a knowing grin on his face when he sees the deep frown on her face. “Let’s make it quick, will you? You already know why I gathered you here.” She launches the pad over the table, the message showing on the orange screen. With a loud thud, she puts down the helmet on the table, keeping a hand on it. “Speak now.” Before Cora can begin and while Liam stutters with his own words, Alana hits the table with her free hand. “You know what? I don’t care. Your insubordination may have cost us a great ally for the Initiative. I swear to God that if he is dead for when I reach the location, I will drop you on Ditaeon for sure. I will not suffer your supposed good judgement again.” Her voice is rising in tone, and even Vetra begins to shift in the spot. All of them are surprised, even Drack. They never saw her this angry before. “I am the Pathfinder, as much as you wanted the spot, Cora, my father chose me. Deal with it. And you Liam, I saved your ass more times than I can remember, and your response is to try to weaken our position in Kadara? You two are lucky that I need every able hand I can muster for this hell of a mission because now I’m more than ready to put you down of my crew for sure. The Tempest is my ship, this is my mission, and those are my rules for the future: I will accept your counsel during missions, only on missions, God knows I’ve been doing it out of them during the last month with all your bittering and bad words, but no more. SAM will overrule all your privileges over him. From now on, you can’t set destinations on the star map and will have forbidden access to my correspondence. Are we clear?” She didn’t wait for their answer, blood boiling in her veins. “We are heading to Kadara, Vetra and Drack will come with me to check the location. Pray that I find him alive or you will know how hard my wrath can be.” Picking up the helmet, she storms out of the room and walks directly to the bridge. The sound of Vetra’s voice saying _‘I told you’_ accompanies her through the research room.

Before reaching the bridge, Alana uses the ladder to go down to her quarters, putting the helm back on its spot with reverent hands. She takes a moment to calm herself before climbing the ladder and entering the bridge, where Drack and Vetra are waiting for her. “Kallo, ETA time?”

The pilot turns slightly to look at her, “Twenty minutes, Pathfinder. We were on Ratul system when you changed the course.”

The anger is beginning to fade, layer after layer of worry covering it. “Good. Drop us on Ditaeon and then head for the Port, we will rendezvous there. Guys, get ready. I want to be on the move as soon as we touch the ground.”

Drack gives her a soft grunt before his big hand pats her shoulder in his way to the door. Vetra just nods, and when she leaves the bridge, she follows Alana, going down with her when she goes to her quarters to put on her armour. The Turian stops her before she steps inside the room. “Hey, Ryder. We will find him. I’m sure he can survive by himself a couple of days.”

Alana looks intently to her feet, not wanting to let her see the pain and regrets flashing in her face. “I know. Is just-- I cared for him, you know it. But these weeks aside had shown me something. I’m in love with him, heels over head. And thinking that he can be hurt, or even dead, is killing me. I need to know he is alive, even if he hates me because of how I treated him.”

Vetra steps on her personal space, putting a supportive arm around her shoulders before beginning to walk her inside the room. “About time that you accept your feelings for him, Alana. You have been in love with him since Sloane’s party! We will find him, and you will pick his sorry ass and force him to return to Kadara Port.” Stopping in front of the armoury, Vetra kicks her ribs playfully. “Or you can take him here and keep him locked with you in this very room for a looong time. You know, patching up your wounds and fucking like rabbits.”

Her helmet falls to the ground with a loud metallic sound, and she turns to face her friend. “Vetra!”

The Turian raises her hands in surrender, but her mandibles are vibrating with a restrained laugh. “He is a shady bastard, I admit it, but a very good looking one. And you know as well as I do that he is more than meet the eye.” Closing the distance to her and recovering the helmet from the floor, she leans against the wall while Alana puts on the pieces of her armour. “Now seriously. You got it bad. I saw it. Gil saw it. Suvi saw it. Lexi and Peebee too. Spirits, even Drack knows it! Your mood and performance are lower since the incident. You didn’t sleep well or at all most of the days. I know you are surviving thanks to SAM’s help. So please, correct this and try to find some happiness for you too.”

Her armour is ready, and she picks up her favourite weapons from the locker, fixing them on her back and legs. When she turns to recover the helmet from Vetra’s hands, she exhales loudly. “Yeah, yeah! I will try it. But first I need to find him.”

Kallo’s voice sounds through the intercoms. “ETA to Ditaeon 5 minutes. Gil has the Nomad ready. I will stop near the outpost and open the cargo bay for you to roll out.”

“Thanks, Kallo. We will be ready.” Activating the comms on her omnitool, she contacts Drack. “Hey, old man, come to the cargo bay. Time to drive into the sunset again.”

Vetra smiles while she gives the helmet to her. “See? Just having the option to talk to him again has improved your mood.”

She takes the helmet from her hands with a grunt, knowing that she is right. Warm is spreading through her body from her chest like a soft blanket, giving her a sensation she almost has forgotten. “I hate when you are right. Let’s get moving.”

The pair of them walks to the cargo bay, where Gil is waiting for them with the Nomad ready to roll across Kadara. Cora is in her usual spot, with Jaal beside her, his hand resting over hers on the table. Ignoring her and avoiding to look in the direction of Liam’s room, she jumps inside the Nomad. Gil stops her before closing the door and leans to kiss her on the cheek. “Go for him, Ryder.”

Alana returns the gesture, messing up with his hair. “I’ll do. Wish me luck and take care of them from me.”

Swearing while rearranging his hair, Gil closes the side door and waits until the opposite one is closed too, to open the locks that fix the Nomad to the platform. They feel the soft movement that marks the landing, and soon, the green light flashes and the ramp unfolds, door opening to let them move. As soon as the Nomad touches the ground, Kallo closes the ramp and takes off, in route to the Port. Vetra marks the destination point on the computer, and Ryder drives the Nomad at full speed to it.

The sun is beginning to set when they arrive at the area. The house lays near a little lake, ramps and stairs joined it to the mountain beside it. Not a single soul can be seen around, but she knew from first-hand experience that appearances are deceiving. Parking the Nomad at the top of the mountain, she puts on the helmet and takes the shotgun on hand. “Let’s do this. Vetra, contact him for every known channel you have. With any luck, he will not try to kill us at first sight.”

They leave the Nomad, Drack acting as the vanguard, with Ryder in the middle and Vetra guarding their backs. The setting sun gives them a beautiful show, painting the landscape in a myriad of shades of golden and orange, giving the turquoise waters of the lake a purplish light. The strong steps of Drack resound in the silence of the valley when they reach the first platform. The door is closed, but through the windows, Alana sees that it is a storehouse, and signals the stairs at the end of the platform. They climb the stairs and stop in front of the barred door. Turning to face Vetra, Alana takes a moment to examine the area around them. “Have he answered any of your calls?”

“Not a single one, but I can see a cam there, he can see us.”

Turning to face the door again, Alana knocks at it with the butt of her shotgun. “Reyes, open the door.”

Less than a minute later, the cam begins to move, searching them and then the area around the door. With a sigh, she leans a hand in the door. “I know you can hear me, Reyes. Please, open the door.”

His voice sounds distorted through the speakers. “What are you doing here, Pathfinder?”

Alana lowers her head, shoulders sagging. She can hear the pain in his voice, and he is at least half drunk for how he slurs the words. “I think is pretty obvious, Reyes. Open the door, or I will open it. I don’t appreciate playing sitting duck with the Outlaws around here.”

No sound reaches them for several minutes. Alana leans her head against the door, raising her arm to the lock. “SAM, do your magic. I want this door, and the one from the warehouse opened.”

“Yes, Pathfinder. Decrypting.” Seconds later she can see the lights on the door changing from red to green. “Done. The door at the warehouse is opened too, Pathfinder.”

She takes a step back, turning to face Vetra and Drack. “I will talk with him alone. Can you wait for me downstairs? SAM can call you if I need you.”

Drack starts to walk to the stairs. “Do your part, kid. And if you need some help to carry him to the Nomad, I’m your Krogan.”

The ancient warrior always brings a smile to her face. “Thanks, old man. Let’s hope we don’t need to. I don’t know if I will have an excuse for Lexi this time.” His trademark laugh mixes with the sound of his steps on the stairs.

Vetra is still with her. “Remember what we talked about, Ryder. You two had to talk, but I don’t think this is the better place for it. Bring him to Kadara Port.” When the Pathfinder gives her a nod, the Turian follows Drack to the lower floor, leaving Alana alone in front of the door.

Raising a hand to touch the door, she stops it before activating it. “SAM, activate Vigilante mode.”

“Understood, Ryder.”

With a last deep breath, she touches the lock and opens the door. The darkness inside is almost complete, the only light the one that filters through the big windows at the end of the room, but the night is coming quickly, and only soft orange rays of sunlight reach them. Looking around, she finds the usual space: a couch with a little table, a tiny kitchenette, some cabinets, a bed and a door to the bathroom. Standard Initiative housing. Stepping inside, she closes the door behind her, locking it again. Letting her eyes get accustomed to the darkness around her, she begins to search for him inside the room.

At last, her eyes grow accustomed to the low light, helping her to recognise forms around the chamber. At first, she didn't see him, and begins to doubt if he even was inside the room when they talked. The soft glint of light reflecting in something catch her eyes, only to find Reyes sitting on the ground, back leaning against the couch. He has a bottle on his hands and several more around his legs.

He even looks at her, his gaze fixed in the landscape while he drinks long gulps from the bottle. When she moves closer, he seems to react. “Why are you here, Pathfinder? Do you still have more nasty words for me? Shoot them. I'm ready for it.”

Her breath got caught in her chest. From where she is standing, she can see the blood stains on his clothes. With a swift movement, she takes off her helmet and weapons, leaving them on the counter near the door before moving near him. When he ignores her, finishing the bottle instead, she kneels in front of him. “Reyes, are you hurt? The blood is yours?”

She can't hide the worried tone of her voice, and Reyes turns to look at her once he finished the booze. But he is so damaged right now, hurting so much for so many reasons, that he didn't recognise it. “Now you care? How benevolent of you to care a bit for this shady bastard, this murderer, this liar. I don't want your pity, Pathfinder.” His hands search for a new bottle beside him. “Now, if you excuse me, I have an appointment with my whisky and my solitude. Thanks for stopping by.”

Leaning her hands on her knees, she avoids looking at him. “I'm not leaving without you, Reyes.”

He growls while he opens the new bottle. “Then get yourself comfortable because I don't have any intention to leave.” Alana sits on her butt, leaning against the window and bending her legs up as much as the armour lets her.

Several minutes passed, and none of them said a single word more, just stealing some looks between them while he drinks. But at last, his patience ends, and he explodes, standing on wobbly legs. “¿Por qué has vuelto, Alana?” He strolls to the other side of the room, hiding in the shadows. “It was you who left me. It was you who decided to leave slapping me with your words. It was you who has been ignoring my messages the last weeks.”

When she process the words, she stands and hits the window, cracking it. “I’m gonna kill her if what you say is true. SAM?”

“Yes, Pathfinder?”

“How many messages from Reyes have Cora hide from me?” She is giving her back to Reyes, don’t wanting for him to see her face.

“Six.”

She hits the wall this time, the blue energy of her powers activating and giving her an extra punch, denting it. “Send them to me and return to Vigilante mode. Thanks, SAM.” Gritting her teeth, she waits until her omni beeps, signalling the incoming messages. Reyes remains silent in his corner while she reads the first message.

“Alana,

I’m sorry. I can say anything more than that.

I only want to assure you that you have met the real Reyes. I wore the Charlatan mask for so many months that is hard to peel it off. But With you… with you, it was only me, Reyes, not the ex-Alliance, not the smuggler, not the brain behind the Collective. Just me. For me, it was real. I never lied about us.

I did what I did because it must be done, but I didn’t want to involve you more than you already were, that's another reason for my silence.

I know I have disappointed you, and that I cut off the bridges we have been working on since our first drink together, but… I don’t know. Can at least remain as friends?

Reyes”

Alana closes her eyes, the sting of tears threatening her. Taking a deep breath, she opens the second message, and the third, and the fourth, where he just asked her to answer him, if only to know if she is alive. The fifth one makes the tear roll since the first line.

“Pathfinder,

It seems that you have opted for ignoring me. Fine. I accept it, and maybe I deserve it, but Kadara still needs you. If you don’t want to see me, I’ll have to learn to deal with it. Just send word in advance, and I will be away from the Port when you visit.

I would not force you to bear my presence if you didn’t want to see me.

Reyes Vidal”

The last one is the same day that Keema’s mail.

"That's the last message I will send to you, Pathfinder.

I’m leaving Kadara Port for a while. I need some time to think about everything, to find my course again, to rebuild myself.

The only way I can think of having some peace on my heart is destroying it again, under the shadow of the Charlatan, burying Reyes Vidal again.

Thanks for gifting me some days of happiness, Alana.

Take care out there.  
Vidal.”

The tears flow freely over her cheeks, and she begins to hiccup, each time she tries to speak. Seeing that she can’t do it, she closes the omnitool and walks directly to where Reyes was leaning against the wall. Once in front of him, she takes off her gloves and cups his face between her hands. Even in the darkness of the room, she can see his eyes opening in surprise. Forcing him to bend a bit, she plants a feather kiss on his lips. Her voice is still broken by her tears, but having him so close and without trying to leave, gives her the push she needed. “I’m so sorry, Reyes.” She kisses him again, “I’m sorry--” When she feels his hand moving to her back, she closes the distance, leaning her head on his shoulder. She repeats the words like a mantra, burying his face in the crook of his neck, breathing him in, his hands grasping his shirt like she fears he would disappear.

At last, his walls fall, and he wraps his arms around her, crushing her even with the armour. “Tell me I’m not dreaming.”

With a soft push, Alana puts some distance between them, enough to look intensely into his eyes. “You are not dreaming, Reyes. In fact, I will say that we are waking up from a nightmare.” One of her hands moves to his face, thumb caressing his lower lip. “I love you, Reyes Vidal.”

His eyes closed for a second, while he breathes deeply. Opening them, he captures her hand and moves it to his chest, leaning it over his heart. “Te quiero, mi albatros.” Closing the distance, he captures her lips in a passionate kiss, putting in it all the suppressed feelings and the weeks of pain he has lived.

When they stop to catch some air, she leans against his forehead. “Come with me to Kadara Port. Hell, come with me to the Tempest. I want to be with you as much time as possible.”

Reyes’ voice is just a whisper, his breath caressing her skin. “I will go with you to the hell and back, mi albatros. But are you sure that you want to have me on your ship? Half of your team hates me, for what I understand from your conversation with SAM.”

Alana laughs a sardonic laugh that Reyes has never hear from her. “Cora and Liam will not say a word against you because if they even risk a wrong glance in your direction, they will end with their asses out of my ship. They have gone too far this time. I don’t need this kind of behaviour on my crew. So yes, I want you there. I want to share with you the same bed where I dreamed of you for months.”

“Then I’m yours, Pathfinder. Let me pick up some clothes, and I will be ready.” When she didn’t let him go, he touches her nose lovingly. “I need the control of my body for this, amor.”

She gives him a resigned sigh. “Fine. I’ll inform Vetra and Drack that everything is fine and we are ready to go.” Leaning against him one last time to plant a soft kiss on his lips. “Don’t make me wait.”

He chuckles, returning the kiss. “I’ve been waiting for you all my life. What are five minutes against that?”

The breath got caught in her chest, her heart beating like a crazy horse. Alana has to close her eyes to push his brain to work again. Her hand slides over his raised arms while she steps back from him. “Go, then. The sooner we leave, the sooner I will have you on my hands without all this metal and plastic between us.”

Reyes’ steps are still wobbly when he moves near the bed and picks up a bag, filling it with clothes from the drawers. Alana leans against the wall, looking at him while he works. Opening the omnitool, she sends a message to Vetra.

“A.Ryder: Hey, everything is fine upstairs. We will leave soon. Everything’s in order out there?”

“V.Nyx: We are good, Drack is telling me about his days as a mercenary, again. Happy to hear that you two have reconciled.”

“A.Ryder: He has said the words, Vetra! And he will come to the Tempest with me. I’m over the clouds! Can you send a message to Lexi to have some items ready for him in my quarters? He is hurt, but I don’t know how much yet, I prefer to check it on the Tempest.”

“V.Nyx: Sure thing. And I will add a present of my own to celebrate your reunion.”

Alana is giggling reading the message when Reyes' feet appear in her sight. Raising her head, she finds him with a leather jacket over his shirt, a bag on his shoulder and Alana’s helmet and gloves on his hands. “Ready to go?”

He nods and gives her a tired smile, and she writes a _‘Green light’_ to Vetra and moves to the door, picking up her weapons on the way. “So, this is the little paradise you told me about?”

“It is. My little haven, but now I have a better one.” Reyes’ hands move to cup her face, giving her a lovely lopsided smile while his thumb caresses her cheek.

The sigh she let go makes Reyes giggle. It is a sound he never, even in his craziest dreams, have expected to hear from her. She sounded enamoured, revealing her real age behind the Pathfinder mask with a simple sigh. Alana returns the smile, turning her face to kiss his palm before grabbing it and begin to walk to the door. “I always forgot that your nickname was Shena. Your voice is alluring for me, even when you are this cheese.”

“And you love it.”

They reach the door, and Alana opens it, finding outside Vetra and Wrex, leaning against the railway. Turning her face to him, she winks at him. “Abso-fucking-lutely!”

Vetra steps in front of them, taking the bag from his shoulder and forcing Alana to put on the gloves and the helmet. “Glad to see you again, Vidal.”

Reyes extends a hand, a Vetra clasps it, giving him a good shake. “Thanks, Nyx.”

When she steps back, is Drack’s turn to say _‘hi’_. The old man just stops in front of him. After a full minute of staring, he only turns steps back and begins to walk to the stairs. “You look terrible. Kid here will have a lot of work to nurse you to full strength again.”

His laugh sounds magical to Alana. Two hours ago she feared to find him dead and now… Now he didn’t let her hand go. She can feel the life pulsing below his skin. “That’s the plan, Drack. Let’s get moving!” They go down the stairs until they reach the Nomad. For the first time since they acquired the vehicle, Alana lets Vetra drive and sits in the back with Reyes. They cuddle as much as her armour lets them. Alana sits on the ground beside his seat and leans her head on his legs. Reyes pets her hair until she feels the hand slips to her back and listens how his breathing slows and she can feel his muscles relax under her fingertips. Smiling softly, she closes her eyes too. They have more than an hour still to reach the Port. They still have to talk about everything that happened this past month, but right now, she feels happier than she has felt since she joined the Initiative.

Alana must have fallen asleep too, because a touch on her shoulder startles her, making her jump and waking up Reyes, who gives one of the cutest grunts she ever heard. Searching around with sleepy eyes, she finds Vetra looking at them from the driver’s seat, amusement painted clearly on her face. “Time to wake up. The Tempest wait for us.”

Stretching her back, she puts a hand on Reyes’ knees and turns to face Vetra. “Good. Give us a moment to wake up, and we will join you outside.”

Vetra is chuckling when she leaves the car, “Don’t stain the seats.”  
Reyes’ head is still resting on the couch, but he is smiling broadly with his eyes closed. “I’m too tired to fulfil her idea, but I take note of it for another moment.”

Giggling with him, she stands and leans over him, giving his lips a quick peck. “Then let’s go to the ship and get some rest.”

They disentangle from one another, and Alana helps him to exit the car. The tiredness together with the alcohol consumption is taking his toll on him at last. They leave the Nomad parked near the forward station and enter the Slums. Vetra and Drack help Ryder carrying their weapons, helmet and Reyes’ bag. Alana keeps an arm around Reyes’ waist, supporting him on their walk to the lift.

Once they reach the port and the door opens, they find an angry Keema waiting for them, with her slim arms crossed over her chest. Waiting until they leave the lift, she closes the distance, stopping in front of Reyes and tapping his chest with a finger. Even in her anger, she is careful to touch areas without blood stains, just in case. “Don’t you dare to do that to me again, ever!”

Shaking his head, Reyes captures her hand and squeezes it. “That depends on how our beloved Pathfinder decides to deal with me, Keema. But yeah, I’m sorry. I’ve been an asshole to you these past weeks.”

Keema returns the squeeze before recovering her hand and turning to face Alana. “Do you need a place to stay? Because he seems to be out of his mind if he begins a conversation with an apology.”

Reyes _‘hey!’_ got lost in the laugh of the team. “Yeah, he needs medical attention soon, or he will begin to say sweet things about Sloane. And no, we will stay at the Tempest.” When Keema can’t mask the disappointment on her face, Alana winks at her. “I’m not stealing him from you yet. For now, we will stay docked on Kadara or be doing quick jumps to the near systems, but always near enough to have vid-coms or pay a visit if necessary.”

With a shrug that Alana is pretty sure that she has learned from their human partner, she turns over her heels and walks away from them, waving without turning to face them. “Don’t keep me waiting for long, Reyes. See you, Pathfinder.”

Alana leans her head again to his shoulder. “I like that one. Is the more human Angaran I ever meet.” With a little push from Vetra, they begin to move to the docks’ door. The guards nod or wave to them when they crossed the door and walked across the dock area to the elevator.

Drack escorts them to the lift before saying his farewells and going to enjoy the rest of the day at Umi’s place. Vetra calls the lift and goes with them until they reach the docking area. Before she begins to climb up the ramp, she turns to face them, signalling with an arm to the ship. “Welcome to the Tempest, Reyes.”

The smiles on Alana and Reyes’ faces are bright as the sun. Reyes winks to her before letting more of his weight lean against the girl beside him. “Thank you, Vetra.”

Moving the hand to secure her grasp on him, she follows Vetra inside the Tempest. Gil is waiting for them near the airlock and takes the weapons to clean and store them. “Hey there, Vidal. Nice to see you in one piece.”

“Thanks, Brodie.”

The engineer closes the distance, putting a hand on his shoulder and fixing a devil smile on his face. “By the way, if you hurt her again, you will discover how cruel a resourceful engineer can be.”

Alana pushes him away, grinning happily. Gil has taken Scott’s role in her life, being the sarcastic and overprotective brother. “Don’t be harsh, Gil. You will spook him, and I will never forgive you.”

Gil laughs broadly, squeezing his shoulder. “I doubt that I can scare the mighty Charlatan.” He steps back with a wink to them, taking up the lift to engineering. “Have fun, and try to do everything I will do in your situation.”

Even Vetra joins them with the laughing, before moving to her office. “I’ll need to pick up something from my desk. I’ll join you in your quarters in a moment.”

Returning her gaze to Reyes, Alana touches the tip of his nose with a finger. “Time to visit my inner sanctum, Reyes. I will make you the ship visit when you are rested enough.” She begins to walk, crossing the area where the Nomad is usually parked, and taking the right hallway to reach the crew quarters’ area.

Lexi is waiting at the door of the medical bay when they pass in front of it. “I have left medigel, bandages and everything you can need to clean and dress the wounds. Let me know if you require my help. And please, get some rest, the two of you.”

When the doctor disappears inside her lab, Reyes let go the breath he has been keeping. “God, I hate doctors.”

Pushing his hips with hers, she begins to walk again, pointing with her head the doors around them. “That’s the crew quarters. The showers are there, so we will pay a visit there soon. On the other side, we have the gurney, and my quarters are in front of us. The ladders lead directly to the bridge.” SAM opens the door for them, and she guides him to the couches area, helping him to sit comfortably. “Welcome to my home, Reyes.”

He let his gaze roam across the room, taking in all the details. “You live with style, Pathfinder.”

“Yeah. They seem to think that a Pathfinder needs an enormous space to sleep alone. But I can’t deny that I love it. The view from the bed is breathtaking while we are travelling.” She leaves him there and begins to unclasp her armour while closing the distance to the armoury on the other side of the room. “I added some personal touches, like the model collection and little Shep.”

“Little Shep?”

The grin on her face makes her look younger than her age while she finishes taking off her armour. The tank top clings to her body in the most alluring way, and Reyes got distracted with it, losing track of the conversation for a moment. “Sorry, Alana. Can you begin again? I lost my focus for a moment.”

Blushing slightly, she begins again. “Is my hamster. You can see it near the desk. We didn’t know how he ended here, but we find it because he decided to eat our cereals and Drack got suspicious about the crumbs he finds everywhere. Suvi and I designed a little trap, and here he is. I have to keep it. Is super cute!”

The amusement was written clearly on his face, but he keeps the tone as serious as possible. “Then it will be my pleasure to meet him later when I can stay on my two legs without your help.”

After storing the armour pieces in the armoury, she unlaces her boots, taking them off together with the socks. She opens the button and zip of her cargo, sliding them down her legs while keeping her equilibrium with a hand on the wall. A gasp escapes Reyes’ mouth, and she feels a wave of confidence running through her. When she frees her legs from the pants, she picks them up and making a ball with them, she throws it inside the clothes hamper. Turning to face Reyes, she finds him leaning his elbows on his knees, hands clasped just below the chin, gaze fixed on her. Alana can feel it like a heated caress over her skin, and the blush returns in force. Coughing softly, she moves to the desk, where Lexi has left the first-aid kit. Moving to the couch, she kneels in front of him, putting the box on the couch beside him.

Reyes’ hands moved to cup her face, dragging her to close the distance to his lips. He punctuated every word with a light feathered kiss on the lips. “Preciosa. Perfecta. Mi reina.”

The tone of his voice, the softness of the kisses, the heat from his hands, everything is working in tandem to turn her brain into a puddle. But she needs to take care of his wounds, and reluctantly, Alana moves away from him, grabbing his hands and kissing each palm before returning them to his knees. “I need to check your wounds, Reyes. And you need some rest too.” Seeing how his brows frown a little, she closes the distance and kisses his lips and his nose while moving away. “A few hours of rest and we can confirm if our dreams have been accurate or not.”

Giving up the fight, knowing that she is right, Reyes leans back into the couch, using the moment to let his eyes roam over her skin shamelessly. “I can say that mine has been pretty wrong. You are better than the image I fabricated of you.”

Gods, she was blushing again! “Stop that, Shena!” She moves her hands to take off his jacket, asking for his help while he grins at her. “Really, Reyes. Stop that. Later, when you had your energies back, I’m gonna strip you with my teeth if you want, but now I want to check the wounds on your chest, so help me a bit, ok?”

His hands push hers away, straightening his pose to take off the jacket completely before taking the hem of the shirt in his hands and pulling it up. Letting it fall to the ground, he looks intently into her eyes, seeing her pupils grow at the sight of his body for the first time. “I have to warn you. I will make you fulfil that image that you had put in my mind, Alana.”

Letting her eyes move over all the visible skin in front of her, she lets her mouth open slightly, breathing raggedly seeing the images of the proposition on her mind. “It will be my pleasure, love. Now let me check all these cuts.” The pet name makes something swell on his chest, and he puts his arms aside to let her space to work while a stupid smile grows on his face. The same smile is showing on hers while she picks some wet wipes and begins to clean his chest. A couple of the cuts are nasty, long and deep, and will probably leave a scar, but the rest are flesh wounds. Once cleaned, she opens a medigel package and applies it to the cuts.

Just when she has her full palm working on one of the biggest cuts, the door of her quarters opens, Vetra walking inside without knocking. “Woohoo! Take it easy, Ryder! He is wounded. You will break him!” Alana’s eyes rolled back, and she just grunts to her, while Vetra’s laugh fills the room. The Turian moves to the couch, leaving Reyes’ bag on it, together with a little box wrapped like a present with a-- wait, is that a weapon blueprint? “Kidding, Ryder. I knew that you will still be treating his wounds, but I didn’t expect to find you in your undies so soon.

Alana has finished with the big ones and begins to work in the little cuts and lacerations. “I hate you, Nyx.”

Her mandibles vibrated in amusement. “I know that you love me, Ryder. But don’t worry, I will not brag about it with Gil and Suvi.” She leans her hip into the couch armrest, crossing her arms. “Besides, I will be your favourite Turian as soon as I explain what I achieved.”

All the cuts had been cleaned and coated in medigel, and she picks up some bandages and dressings, covering them to let the poultice do its magic. “Surprise me, Vetra.”

“I talked with Keema, and she has found rooms for us in one of the Collective’s houses. We will leave after the meal, to spend the night at Umi's place and then sleep at the Port. SAM has orders to contact us immediately if someone tries to enter the ship, but Keema will put protection around it. I even coaxed Kallo to leave his post.”

The surprise is clearly in her voice when she stops his work to turn and look to Vetra. “Really? We will have all the ship for us for a full night?”

Vetra laughs again, “Yeah. Still mad at me?”

“Mad is a very harsh word, Vetra. But no. Right now, I want to kiss you and then take your ass out of my quarters.”

They laugh together, and Vetra moves to tower above Alana, who is still kneeling in front of Reyes. “Don’t worry. I will show myself the exit. But remember, we will leave the ship in a couple of hours.” Moving to the door, she waves to them from it. “Have fun tonight, and try not to break him, Ryder. And take a look in the box after the nap, I’m sure you will love it. See you tomorrow!”

The door closed behind her, and this time the red signal that shows that the lock is online showed on it. Returning her attention to Reyes, she pushes herself up leaning on his knees. “I love that girl. Now come with me, we will follow her counsel and take a long nap.” When he didn’t move, she extends her hands to him, pointing to the bed with her head. “Is a very soft and comfy bed, you know… and I dream of sharing it with you for months.”

Reyes grabs her hands and let her pull him up, didn’t fighting the inertia and crashing against her body. “It will be my pleasure, mi reina, but thanks to Vetra’s words, not everything in the bed will be soft for a long while.”

When the feeling of him against her hip constated his words, she can feel the heat pooling on her core. “You are killing me, Reyes. You almost passed away in my arms less than an hour ago. You need your rest, and I’m not in my best moment either.” Moving a hand to run her fingers through the hair on his nape, he forces him to lower his head enough to catch his lips briefly. “Besides, I want for our first time together to be memorable, and Vetra has given us the meanings to do it. But we need the energies we don’t have right now.

Grabbing her waist with an arm and forcing her to stand on her tiptoes, Reyes kisses her passionately. “You know how much I hate when you are right. Fine, help me with the pants, and we will take that well-deserved rest, but later--” He kisses her again, tongue delving inside her mouth and making her moan. “Later I will make you mine at last.”

“I’m already yours, but you didn’t know it yet. Come, love.” She takes his hand between hers and walks back to the bed, regularly checking that he can walk by himself. When they reach it, she helps him to take off his pants, trying not to enjoy the moment very much. Opening the bed sheets, she helps him to lay on it, letting him chose the side where he prefers to sleep. He remains in the middle of the bed, legs covered by the sheet while he beckons to her. She slides into the bed with a contented sigh, covering their bodies with the sheet while she finds the perfect spot to sleep: half covering his body with hers, legs entangled and a hand over his chest, while his arm is wrapped around her upper body. With a sigh, she raises her wrist in front of him. “Can you turn off the lights? The pass is Blasto.”

Reyes laugh vibrates in all her body, “Really, Alana? My little Pathfinder is a fan of the Hanar Spectre. I don’t know why, but it didn’t surprise me.” Activating the omnitool, he gives the order to turn off the lights before closing the screen. Kissing her head, he leans back, head resting entirely on the pillow. “Rest well, mi reina.”

“Same to you, Reyes.”

They drifted inside the realm of dreams in less than five minutes. The month of exhaustion is taking its toll on them finally.

Alana begins to wake up, feeling rested for the first time in weeks. Her eyes open slowly, and when she finds an ocean of caramel skin in front of her, the breath got caught inside of her chest. Checking the exterior through the windows, she sees that is still in the middle of the night. With a quick movement of her wrist, she opens the watch functionality of her omni, seeing that is around 3 AM. They have slept more than five hours. The feeling of his body against hers, the heat emanating from him, the softness of his skin under her hand… God, how she wants this man! Raising her body up, she straddles him, leaning her two hands on his chest, taking extra care where she knows he had the wounds.

The movement makes him stir a bit, eyes fluttering until he cracks them open. When he finds her over him, the sleepy grin turned into something different, more heated. “Morning, preciosa.”

Alana leans more over him until her weight is resting on her elbows on each side of his head. “Morning, gorgeous.” Closing the distance to his jaw, she begins to kiss him, drawing a path until she reaches his mouth, talking while her lips ghost over his mouth. “Sorry for waking you up, but you are too tempting to resist.”

With a swift movement, Reyes turns their positions, laying Alana on her back while he positions himself between her legs. “And you will not listen me complaining about it.” He lowers his face to the crook of her neck, biting it softly. “If you want me to stop, tell me soon because I’m beginning to lose my mind.”

One of her hands moves to the nape of his head, forcing him to raise it where she can look into his eyes. “Reyes, I love you, but if you stop right now, I’m gonna kill you.”

He was on her in a heartbeat, his soft lips devouring her like he wanted to breathe her in. His tongue delved inside her mouth, dancing with hers, while his hand move from the mattress to her waist, deft fingers finding the hem of her shirt and sliding under it. Her body feels on fire. Every touch of his fingertips sends a bolt of energy to her core, heat pooling on her inner thighs. His hand makes its way up, thumbs drawing circles on her skin and making goosebumps appear everywhere he touches her. When his hand cups her breast, she moans in their shared kiss, and Reyes breaks the kiss, following the line of her jaw with open-mouthed kisses. “I want to hear you, will you scream for me?” The question goes with his fingers pinching the nipple, and her head falls to the pillow, gasping his name. Alana can feel his erection against her core, twitching with every moan he elicits from her. Reyes keeps kissing and biting her neck while his hand works on her breast until he stops and sits backs over his heels, taking his hand with him. “I promise, mi reina, that later I will make love to you as you deserve, worshipping your body and soul, but now--” He falls over her again, leaning his weight on stretched arms. “Now I need to bury myself in you, or I’m gonna die.”

Alana’s voice sounds ragged and breathless, but she keeps eye contact with him all the time, to let him see that her need is as strong as his. “Yes, please. I need you too.” Wrapping her legs around him, she makes him fall on her and captures his mouth. Reyes lets her control the kiss for a while, his full weight pinning her against the mattress. Moving his hands over her waist and moving lower, he slides his fingers under her underwear, breaking the kiss to talk. “Tell me you didn’t have any kind of attachment to your undies.”

Looking surprised, she shakes her head, waiting for whatever he was thinking to do. What she didn’t expect is for him to grab the sides of her undies and break them, the sound of the cloth ripping filling the room. The movement surprises and excites her in the same measure, “Reyes!”

His head rest against her shoulder, kissing and biting every inch of skin he can reach. Alana’s nails are trailing his back, making some marks that he knows will still be there tomorrow morning. Moving his weight to his left elbow, Reyes captures her mouth again, sucking her lower lip into his mouth, caressing it with his tongue. The sounds she makes, Reyes is about to lose the battle and let his animal side of him take control. He needs to be inside of her soon.

Their tongues dance inside her mouth, while Reyes’ hand travels down to end between her legs, fingers finding her nub and drawing circles on it with the pad of his thumb. He groans loudly when he risks going even lower, and his fingertips found the wetness on her. After caressing the entrance, he slips two fingers inside, drinking her moans and enjoying the pure feeling of having her under him, back arched with pleasure and trembling. When his thumb begins to play again with her clit without stopping his onslaught, her inner walls start to pulse around his fingers, and he knows that she is close. Instead of stopping, he breaks the kiss, changing his position to lean on his hand, and keeping the pace with his fingers. He wants to see her undone under his touch.

Without his mouth to silence her, Alana is a screamer. Each touch turns into a moan. Every time his fingers retreat to come back a heartbeat later, she gasps loudly. His name falls from her lips in awe, eyes closed and back arched. The legs around him are trembling and her walls are clamping around his fingers. “Mi reina, look at me.”

Fighting against the pressure of the pleasure that forces her eyes to close, she opens them, looking directly into his eyes. When he mutters in a raspy voice _'You are beautiful like this'_ , she falls. The hot waves of pleasure roll through her body with every spasm of her core. His fingers didn’t stop, elongating her pleasure for what seemed like ages. At last, Reyes pulls off his hand and let her stand a bit to kiss him. With the orgasm still ringing in her ears and her eyes closed to enjoy the kiss to the max, she didn’t see how he frees his cook from his boxers. The feeling of his member caressing her folds makes her moan into the kiss, and Reyes groans with her as soon as the tip breaches her. Reyes enters her slowly, savouring every second of it. The silken walls are hugging him like an old friend. They fit perfectly, like two pieces of a puzzle. Both are panting for when he sheath himself completely.

Reyes needs to stop and get his bearings, or this will end sooner than planned. Moving his right arm to wrap around her chest, he moves her against him, impulsing them up with his other arm until he is sitting on his heels and she is straddling him. The change of angle makes her moan even louder, and she positions her arms to circle his neck. Hearing how she voices her pleasures is making something with his brain. “Dios, Alana. You feel so good!”

The woman got the guts to giggle, moving to kiss his nose. “Said the pot to the kettle.” She untangles her legs from his hips and leans his feet into the mattress. Moving her head to the crook of his neck, she licks the pulse point before biting it, hard enough to leave a mark. With a breathy voice, she keeps talking while kissing his neck. “Make me scream your name to the stars.”

“You will be the death of me, and I will go gladly.” Reyes’ hands slid to her hips, gripping them with force, keeping her in the correct position to pump inside her heat. “I'm yours to command.” As soon as he begins to pump inside of her, she lost it. The sounds she makes near his ear are the best ones he ever listened.

Fighting against her own body, she straightens her bag to reach his face, kissing him sloppily, with more teeth than lips, swallowing his moans, mixing them with hers. The pressure inside of her is beginning to peak again, and she arches her back, hands clasping his shoulders. “Re--Reyes! I’m so close.”

“I know, amor. Come for me, let me feel you.”

Alana let her arms fall back, leaning back and catching her weight on her hands. The change of position makes him growl, and when she begins to move her hips in little circles, he has to fight against his own orgasm. Her head has fallen back, and she is howling her pleasure, moaning a mixture of curses and Reyes’ name. The moment she reaches her peak, he feels something explode inside of him. The feeling of her walls pulsing around him finishes him. He fights to keep his eyes open, the show of Alana Ryder coming undone, with his cook buried deep inside of her, is something he wants to engrave in his brain for the rest of his life. His own orgasm is so powerful that he feels his heart beating like crazy while he shoots his load deep in her.

Her arms fail her at last, falling back to the bed. Reyes follows her gladly, still buried in her heat. His body covers hers almost entirely, and he leans his weight on one elbow, using the free hand to caress her face, eliciting a soft sound from her. “That was--”

Without opening her eyes, she moves her hand to join his on her face. “I believe _‘marvelous’_ is the world you are looking for, love.”

“Marvelous.” Reyes kisses her lips, “Perfect.” And her nose, “Incredible.” And a cheek, “Unfor--”

Alana silences him with a kiss, interlacing their fingers and moving their joined hands over her chest. When they break the kiss to catch some air, he is grinning, and she suspects that she has probably the same stupid smile on her face. “I got the idea, my king.” Another soft peck on his lips. “How sounds to you if we go and take a very long shower before coming back and get some more sleep?”

“A hot shower with you? Sounds like an excellent idea.” Reyes moves away from her, disentangling her legs from his back and hissing when he leaves her heat. “We are supposed to be alone, right?”

Sitting on the bed, she looks at him with an arched brow, muttering a _‘Yes?’_. Her surprised scream when he picks her up from the bed in bridal style and walks to the door was priceless. Alana is laughing loud when he fights to open the door with her on his arms. When she didn’t help him, he smiles mischievously to her. “Don’t worry. I have a backup. SAM, are you there?”

She kicks his shoulder, using a finger to wipe the tears from her cheeks. “Don’t you dare, Reyes!”

“Then open the door! My hands are full of Pathfinder!”

Alana moves a hand to touch the controls of the door, and the biometric sensors detect her and activate it, opening with a hiss. “If someone finds us walking naked through my ship, I will say is all your fault.”

Laughing hard, he steps outside the room, nudging her ear with his nose. “You are not naked, yet, amor. Besides, if I got my way with you, we will spend most of our time together in a perpetual naked state. You are too perfect to cover your body with clothes.”

With a sigh, she hides her blushing face in the crook of his neck. “And my Shena strikes back. I’m already yours, Reyes, no need to flatter me.”

“We’ll talk about it later, amor.” Moving into the crew quarters, Alana points to the shower room with a leg and Reyes steps inside, making her stand outside the shower while he plays with the temperature controls. When the water temperature is to his liking, he extends a hand, and when Alana grabs it, he pulls her inside until she is under the spray of water with him. Pulling aside her wet hair, he kisses her softly, cupping his face with hands. “I didn’t call you perfect to flatter you. You are perfection. My perfection. And you can’t do anything to stop me from voicing how marvellous you are. Besides--” He sinks to his knees, grabbing her ass with his two hands and following the shape of her belly with his tongue. “I’m a greedy man. I can do with nothing less than perfection. And you surpass my dreams with every heartbeat of your heart.”

Alana’s face is flushed, and Reyes knows that part of it is because of his words and actions, and can’t hide the lopsided grin that grows on his face. Alana, move her hand to the nape of his head, scratching his neck. Her voice is a soft purr, barely audible under the sound of the running water. “Maybe I can recommend a more direct approach, Mister Vidal?” She steps back until her back lays flat against the cold wall. She beckons to Reyes, and he follows her lead, crawling to her and stopping in front of her. Raising a leg and leaning it on Reyes’ shoulder, she mewls her request. “Maybe you can show me if your nickname can be applied to other areas besides your sweet talking.”

God, if he loved her before, now that he knows her kinky side, he is falling even more. With a crooked smile, he closes the distance to her, his husky voice sounding distant because he talks directly to her folds. “As my queen commands.” And then his tongue is on her, and they howled together, one from the pleasure, the other for tasting her at last. He uses his fingers to separate her folds and tease her entrance, his tongue flat over her clit while his other hand begin to delve inside her. His fingertip searched for that magic spot inside every woman, and he knows that he has found it as soon as he touched it. Alana’s cries out, the leg on his shoulder shivers with every touch. Pulling out his fingers slowly, he turns inside with a quick movement, reaching the same spot and sending a bolt of pleasure through her body. Meanwhile, he has been playing with the hardened nub. The tip of his tongue drawing circles around it, pressuring it with measured force, hard enough to elicit a heated moan from time to time. After some minutes of ministrations, her head slams the wall, crying out his name while she comes.

The pleasure before has been good, but that… Alana feels like she was floating over the moon of Kadara, like she has been hit by lightning that killed her nervous system, because she can only feel him. His tongue on her, his fingers inside her, his hair between her fingers. When her inner walls stop pulsing around him, Reyes pulls off, giving a last kiss to her nub before moving to kiss her navel. Helping her to put her leg down, he begins to trail a path of kisses, going up her body, moving the wet tank top that she has still on with him. When he reaches her breasts, he stops, keeping the wet lycra just over them while he sucks the hardened nipple inside his mouth, and uses his fingers to cup the other breast, pinching and twisting the nipple.

“Oh, God, Reyes--” Her voice sounds ragged and raspy, and he loves it. Finding energy somewhere, she forces her foggy brain to move her hands and push him away. “Stop the teasing, please. Let me catch my breath, at least.”

She can feel his grin over her skin, but he relented, following the valley of her breast to her collar bone, kissing and biting it until he reaches her neck, to whisper the words into her ear. “And tell me, amor, where is the fun then? I’m enjoying myself very much right now.” His tongue traces the shell of her ear, making her moan again and he chuckles, doing it again and getting the same reaction. “Looks like I found your weak spot.”

She lets go a breathless laugh, pushing him away from her ear. “Moron!” She keeps pushing him until he lays with his back on the other side of the shower. Maintaining a hand on his chest, she extends an arm and cuts off the water. “We will need that for later.” Closing the distance, she pins him against the wall with her body. “And now, let me show you where the fun is.”

Grabbing his hands, she pushes them against the wall, while she begins to kiss his jaw, going lower to his neck, biting hard in the pulse point and lapping at it to soothe the pain. She goes down to his collarbones, where she makes a thoughtful work of kissing and biting every inch of them until the dark skin turns redder. His eyes closed when she goes lower, covering his chest in love bites before moving to give his nipples the same treatment she received. He shudders under her hands. His brain turned into a puddle of desire. She keeps his hand pinned against the wall while she continues lowering her body. When she reaches the dark line of hair that leads to his cock, she let his hands go and splashes hers on his hips while she sinks to her knees, kissing the line of hair until she reaches her destination. He is hard again, the member pulsing in the air under her gaze. Alana decides to tease him, and instead of using her hands, she maintains his hips still while she licks him. The sounds he made! She has just had the best orgasm of her life, and the heat is pooling again between her thighs. Using her tongue to move his erection up, she captures the head with her mouth, enjoying the sound of his head hitting the wall. Bobbing her head slowly, she uses her tongue to tease the head, circling it, humming when she catches the flavour of his precum. With each movement of her head, she takes him deeper, until the gag reflex appears, and she wills her body to ignore it, moving up and down of his length with a steady rhythm.

When she gets him hit the back of her throat, she swallows around him and is rewarded with a breathy moan followed by her name. She keeps the movement until his hands stilled her, moving her away from him. “I’m too close, amor.”

She kisses the tip of his erection, ignoring the hand that tries to make her stand. “And what if I want to taste you, my king?”

After some insistence, he achieves what he wanted, and Alana stands up. “We will have time for that in another moment. Right now, I want to fuck you against this wall, so hard that you will need my help to return to your quarters." His words awaken a wave of lust inside of her, and her moan turns wanton when he reaches behind her to grab her ass. When she didn’t say a word, Reyes smiles, knowing that his little speech has rendered her speechless. “Do you want that, amor?” Her answer is a timid nod against his shoulder, and he kisses her temple lovingly before moving her to lay facing the wall while he moves behind her. “Put your hands on the wall for me, mi pequeño ruiseñor. I’m gonna make you sing.” With a hand splashed between her shoulder blades, Reyes forces her to bend, leaning her hands on the wall for balance. Her well-formed ass raised in the air for him to enjoy and take. His free hand moves to caress her folds, spreading her juices with his thumb and making her shiver. The image of her in this position, hot and wet for him, will take up his dreams during the lonely nights on Kadara.

Taking his girth on hand, he places himself at her entrance, pushing inside with a single movement and making her cry aloud. The new position makes him feel even bigger, reaching corners of her that no one has touched before. With a growl, he leans on her back, biting her shoulder while he pumps in and out of her heat. She fights to keep her hands on the wall, but the force of the thrusts and the wet surface make it difficult. He seems to notice it and helps her stand up and pushes her forward until her chest is against the wall. Reyes bites the back of her neck, following the shape of her shoulder with open mouthed kisses. “Put your arms around my neck, amor. And get yourself ready, because I’m gonna make you scream my name.” As soon as her hands interlaced the fingers behind his head, he spreads his legs to have a better equilibrium before raising one of her legs and hooking it over his ass. The new position makes him touch that marvellous spot inside of her with every thrust, and he begins to speed up. His hands control her hips, and he keeps her in position with enough force to leave some bruises on her skin, but he likes the idea of marking her, of having a way to say _‘she is mine’_. The thought makes him growl, increasing, even more, the pace, pounding her in quick movements. They are moaning loudly, and the effect of it inside the shower room is overwhelming. The sounds of their lovemaking are reverberating on the walls and intensifying the pleasure of the act. When he feels his own orgasm coming closer, he slows the pace, moving a hand to caress her hardened nub, making her mewl his name and come undone in less than a minute. The force of her orgasm makes her lost the grip on his neck, and she falls to the wall. The angle, together with the sounds she makes and the pulsing heat around his cock, undoes him. He buries himself deep inside of her one, two, three times more, and loses it on the next one, keeping himself as deep as possible while he fills her with his come. They were painting hard, Alana leaning on her joined hands on the wall, and Reyes between her shoulder blades, planting soft kisses on her heated skin.

When he feels his brain recovered enough from the explosion of pleasure, he pulls out from her, and picks her in his arms, kissing her temple again. “I love you, my queen.”

“And I love you too, my king.” Her legs are fighting hard to keep her upright, and he puts a supportive arm around her waist when he moves them under the spray of water again. When the hot water hits her, she smiles at him while pushing her hair back. “I say that you had fulfilled your threat, Mister Vidal. You will have to help me to reach our bed.”

Reyes has never thought that a simple word can light his days, but that _‘ours’_ , the statement of being a pair instead of just friends with benefits, makes something with his insides. “I will walk you to the Nexus if necessary, amor. Let’s get clean, and I will take you to bed.” He kisses her tenderly before helping her out of her wet tank top.

They washed their bodies, helping one another and using the time to learn the shape of every curve, every muscle, every plane, of their bodies. Reyes washes her head, and she purrs like a cat when his nails scratch her scalp, making him giggle and doing it more often. Once rinsed, Alana signals the cupboard with the towels, and he picks three of them, wrapping one around her hair, another around her body, and one on his lower body. Cupping her face, he kisses her again, languidly and full of love, before picking her up and returning to their room. The door closes behind them, and she passes her hand in front of it to lock the door. Stopping beside the bed, he wipes the water from their bodies completely, letting the towels near the door before taking off the one on her hair and putting it over the pillows. With a last kiss on the top of her head, he helps her to lay on the bed, sliding inside the sheets with her and positioning her head on his shoulder and her hand over his chest. “Good night, mi amor.”

Alana kisses his chest and nuzzles him with her nose before leaning her face on her chin to look at him. “Good night, my love. Tomorrow will be the first day of our new life. Do you want to walk this path with me, Reyes?”.

Reyes raises her hand and kisses lovingly every knuckle. “Mi reina… The day I met you, I found a missing piece I didn’t know I was lacking. You complete me and make me the man always wanted to be. Through your eyes, I see a better version of myself, and I will fight to the death to never lose that gaze. I’ll walk with you, I’ll fight with you, to the end of the system, to the next cluster, to the next galaxy, for as long as you want me. Te quiero, mi vida.” He can feel her tears against his chest and moves her up to kiss the tears away.

She launches herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and covering his face with kisses. “Oh, Reyes. I’m so happy right now that I feel capable of destroying the Archon with my pinkie. I love you too, my love. And sadly for you, you will be stuck with me for a very loooong time.” Kissing his lips gently, she lets her body return to her original position, leaning on him. “It will be an incredible sensation waking up by your side tomorrow morning.”

Reyes kisses the top of her head and leans his head back to the pillow with a contented sigh. “Indeed, mi amor, indeed.”

They drifted together into Morpheus’ arms, the silly smiles on their faces a testament of the warm feeling inside their hearts. The system is a mess, danger awaits for them behind every corner, but they have found a haven, a secret place to remember why are they fighting for, and the reason to do.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Translations:  
> ¿Por qué has vuelto, Alana? --> Why did you come back, Alana?  
> Te quiero, mi albatros. --> I love you, my albatross.  
> Amor --> Love  
> Mi amor --> My love  
> Mi reina --> My queen  
> Preciosa --> Gorgeous  
> Mi vida --> My life


End file.
